ARHS Morning Announcements: February 2021

Monday, March 1, 2021

Each year, on the last day of Black History Month, we honor those notable icons who have earned their wings. This past year 2020, we have lost so many memorable pioneers, we will use two days February 26 and March 1st.
Some you may know by the sound of their name. Others, you will find have made their own mark in black history.
Rest in Power:
Chadwick Boseman - actor in many iconic movies
John Thompson - Legendary former coach of the Georgetown Hoyas, Hall of Fame Coach and the first black coach to win an NCAA title
Sylvester Francis - Founder of Backstreet Cultural Museum in Louisiana
Bruce Williamson - R&B Singer with the Temptations
Lou Brock - Baseball Legend
Pamela Hutchinson - R&B singer with the Emotions
Gale Sayers - NFL Legend
Thomas Jefferson Byrd - Actor
Johnny Nash - singer, songwriter
Natalie Deselle Reid - actress
Bishop Harry Jackson Jr. - presiding bishop of the International Communion of Evangelical Churches
David Dinkins - NYC's first black mayor
Bruce Carver Boynton - Civil Rights Activist/lawyer
Lucille Bridges - mother of Ruby Bridges
Drew Days III - Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under the Carter administration
Ben Watkins - Contestant on Master Chef Jr. (14 years old)
Arnie Robinson Jr. - Olympic Gold Medalist (long jump)
Marcus Garvey Jr. - Civil rights leader and son of Marcus Garvey
Carol Sutton - actress (most recently on OWN's Queen Sugar)
Tommy Tiny Lister - actor (Friday)
Charley Pride - first black Country and Western singer
Alfonso Quinones - (Shabba Doo) Actor and Legendary hip hop dancer and breakdancer
Joe Clark - Subject of the movie Lean on Me

For the month of March, Women’s Rights Club will be honoring various women from history who have made important contributions to gender equality and society as a whole. This is directly following POCU’s fantastic Black History Month series. For the next couple days, we will highlight why intersectionality of race and gender issues is essential, and how feminist movements have succeeded and failed in including women of color.
While white women make 79 cents to a white man’s 1 dollar, Black women make 62 cents, Native women make 56 cents, and Latina women make 54 cents. Jobs like nursing, caregiving, and teaching are made up of predominantly women of color, and not coincidentally tend to be lower-paying jobs. 80% of Black women are the sole or primary breadwinners for their households. Women of color are also significantly underrepresented in executive positions and other higher-paying positions in the average workplace.
WRC Women's History Month presented by Ruthie Weinbaum

Join the International Students Club! If you are passionate about fundraising toward international issues and love celebrating international culture, our club is perfect for you! Some events/programs our club has already done include a tutoring program with ELL students, cultural bake sales, and UNICEF fundraisers. Currently, our club is planning a discussion about children’s education in developing countries for ARHS Social Justice Month! Come join us for our next meeting Tuesday, March 2 at 11:55-12:15 using this link: https://meet.google.com/lookup/dx4jdbplm3 See you there!

Student Advisory Council is hosting a budget forum for students TODAY @ 2:30PM. Students will have a chance to hear about the proposed budget, including possible cuts, as well as ask questions and share feedback.
Questions? Email arhs_sac@arps.org.
Budget Forum Meet Link: meet.google.com/lookup/budget

Friday, February 26, 2021

Each year, on the last day of Black History Month, we honor those notable icons who have earned their wings. This past year 2020, we have lost so many memorable pioneers, we will use two days February 26 and March 1st.
Some you may know by the sound of their name. Others, you will find have made their own mark in black history.
Rest in Power:
Nick Gordon, entertainer
Kobe Bryant, NBA legend
Gianna Bryant, daughter of Kobe Bryant and up and coming WNBA legend
Ja"Net Dubois, actress
Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician and the subject of the movie, Hidden Figures
Bishop Barbara Harris, first female ordained Episcopal Bishop
Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, Dean of the Civil Right Era
Bill Withers, singer, songwriter
Ellis Marsalis, jazz pianist
Earl. G. Graves Jr., founder of Black Enterprise Magazine
Cheryl A. Wall, literary scholar and Prof. of English at Rutger University
Richard Penniman, (Little Richard), Rock and Roll Pioneer
Andre Harrell - hip hop executive
Betty Wright, R&B singer, songwriter
Fred Davis, Civil Rights Activist
Wilson Roosevelt Jerman, butler at the White House who served 11 different U.S. Presidents
Wes Unseld, NBA legend, Hall of Fame
Bonnie Pointer, singer with the Pointer Sisters
John Lewis, Civil Rights Icon and US Congressman
Rev C.T. Vivian, Civil rights Leader
Herman Cain, former Republican Presidential Candidate

Student Advisory Council is hosting a budget forum for students to learn more about the proposed budget for 2021-2022 on MONDAY, MARCH 1ST at 2:30pm. Students will have a chance to hear about the proposed budget, including possible cuts, as well as ask questions and share feedback.
Questions? Email arhs_sac@arps.org.
Budget Forum Meet Link: meet.google.com/lookup/budget

Submit a play to the 36th Annual Student-Written Play Festival! We accept all kinds of scripts from all kinds of students for a slate of 10 and 1-minute plays to be performed live this spring. No experience necessary whatsoever. Everything you need to know is at: bit.ly/arhssw21 - but feel free to contact Mr. Bechtold (bechtolj@arps.org) with any questions. Entries due March 14.

Tuesday, February 25, 2021

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Maceo Snipes-
Maceo Snipes, a US Army veteran, was the first African American to vote in a democratic primary in Taylor County, Georgia in 1946. Just hours after he voted, four white men pulled up outside of his grandfather’s house and asked his mother to call him outside. The men confronted Snipes and then one of the men shot Snipes in the back. All of the men were alleged members of the KKK, which was then in its prime. After the men left, Snipes and his mother walked to the owner of the land they were sharecropping, Homer Chapman. Chapman then helped them walk 3 miles to the hospital. The hospital staff would not treat Snipes until 6 hours later and by then he needed a blood transfusion. The staff then claimed that they did not have any ‘black blood’ and so 2 days later, Maceo Snipes died on July 20, 1946. During the follow up investigation, the shooter, Edward Williamson claimed that he had confronted Snipes about a $10 debt owed to him, that Snipes pulled a knife on him and that’s why he shot him twice in the back in self defense. The jury accepted this and declared Williamson’s murderous act justified.
A moment in Black History brought to you by Mary Custard
Tomorrow we will highlight the many members who have earned their wings in the past year.

Student Advisory Council is hosting a budget forum for students to learn more about the proposed budget for 2021-2022 on MONDAY, MARCH 1ST at 2:30pm. Students will have a chance to hear about the proposed budget, including possible cuts, as well as ask questions and share feedback.
Questions? Email arhs_sac@arps.org.
Budget Forum Meet Link: meet.google.com/lookup/budget

Submit a play to the 36th Annual Student-Written Play Festival! We accept all kinds of scripts from all kinds of students for a slate of 10 and 1-minute plays to be performed live this spring. No experience necessary whatsoever. Everything you need to know is at: bit.ly/arhssw21 - but feel free to contact Mr. Bechtold (bechtolj@arps.org) with any questions. Entries due March 14.

Join us for Social Justice Month at ARHS this March! Every Tuesday in March starting on the 9th, different clubs will be presenting student-led discussions on issues that are important to them. You have the power to make a difference in Amherst, and there is no better time than now. Check out the whole list of topics and dates right here: bit.ly/arhssj
Meeting links will be added shortly. If you want to get involved or have any questions, email baxterer@arps.org, vanhornsh@arps.org, or rueschemeyerbaileynr@arps.org.

Sports registration for the 'floating season' is now open! We will be offering 'indoor track' (practices only; 9th-12th grade), football (9th-12th grade) and swimming (7th-12th grade). Please note that 'indoor track' will be mostly outdoors unless using the weight room. There is a possibility that we offer practices only, with a chance of a couple outdoor meets towards the end of April. Please continue to check the athletic webpage, as I do my best to update it frequently.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Claudette Colvin- Claudette Colvin was born on September 5th, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Claudette wore her hair in cornrows and considered herself militant. On March 2, 1955, Claudette was arrested at the age of 15 in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give her seat up to a white woman on a crowded bus, 9 months before Rosa Parks, secretary for the NAACP, was arrested for the same offense. Claudette wasn't credited for it and her story has been forgotten because she was 15 and pregnant. She didn’t look the way some in the NAACP thought she should and many thought that she wouldn't be the right face for the movement. Claudette was also one of the 5 women plaintiffs who initiated the case Browder v. Gayle, which aimed to desegregate busses in Alabama. On June 5, 1956, the US District Court for Alabama issued a ruling that public bus segregation was unconstitutional. State and local officials appealed the case to the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court affirmed the District Court decision and on December 20, 1956, the court ordered Montgomery and the state of Alabama to end bus segregation permanently. After winning the court case, Claudette was branded a troublemaker by some in the city so ultimately, she moved to New York City in 1958 and found a job as a nurse. She worked in a Manhattan nursing home and retired after 35 years there. She is now 81. A moment in black history brought to you by Fatma Abdel Maksoud Tomorrow, we will highlight Maceo Snipes

Submit a play to the 36th Annual Student-Written Play Festival! We accept all kinds of scripts from all kinds of students for a slate of 10 and 1-minute plays to be performed live this spring. No experience necessary whatsoever. Everything you need to know is at: bit.ly/arhssw21 - but feel free to contact Mr. Bechtold (bechtolj@arps.org) with any questions. Entries due March 14.

DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps is collaborating with Community Action Youth Programs to bring the annual YELO Forum, 3/31/21 from 4-6pm. YELO = Youth Engage Legislators & Officials. This year will be a virtual forum. Youth and DSAP members will lead an interactive flow of engaging activities to generate dialog around issues such as mental health, climate justice, and racial justice.

Here is a YELO Forum Flyer! (and the logo below!)

Please share this with any youth you think may be interested in attending.

To receive the YELO Forum Zoom link, youth must register: https://forms.gle/F3Fr5LtMu1k6Vx4VA

Registration opens March 1st. The YELO Forum is on March 31^st, from 4pm-6pm
The 1st 30 youth to register (& participate in the forum) will receive an e-gift card.

Community Action Youth Programs is hosting 2 pre-YELO Workshops to prepare and collaborate with youth on creating the content of the forum. These will be on Wednesdays 3/3 and 3/17 from 4pm-6pm. For those interested in participating in pre-YELO workshops, please reach out to Allison Scott ascott@dialself.org

Join us for Social Justice month at ARHS this March! Every Tuesday in March starting on the 9th, different clubs will be presenting student-led discussions on issues that are important to them. You have the power to make a difference in Amherst, and there is no better time than now. Check out the whole list of topics and dates right here: bit.ly/arhssj

Meeting links will be added shortly. If you want to get involved or have any questions, email baxterer@arps.org, vanhornsh@arps.org, or rueschemeyerbaileynr@arps.org.

Sports registration for the 'floating season' is now open! We will be offering 'indoor track' (practices only; 9th-12th grade), football (9th-12th grade) and swimming (7th-12th grade). Please note that 'indoor track' will be mostly outdoors unless using the weight room. There is a possibility that we offer practices only, with a chance of a couple outdoor meets towards the end of April. Please continue to check the athletic webpage, as I do my best to update it frequently.

Hey Seniors you are all invited to a virtual senior meeting on February 26th at 9:00am! You will hear from administrators and other adult leaders regarding prom, graduation, scholarships, senior exemption etc. You will also have the opportunity to network with some of your peers as well. Check your email after break for the GoogleMeet link. See you ALL then 2021!

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Edward Alexander Bouchet –
Edward Bouchet was the son of a former slave and was born in New Haven, CT. Despite having very limited educational opportunities as a youth, he earned admittance to Yale and became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in 1874 and was ranked 6th in his class. He was among the first 20 Americans of any race to receive a Ph.D. in Physics, the 6th at Yale. Because of racism, Dr. Bouchet was unable to find a University teaching position. He moved to Philadelphia in 1876 and began teaching at Philadelphia’s Institute for Colored Youth (which is now Cheyney University) for 26 years. He spent another 14 years teaching at the high school and college levels. He served as an inspiration to generations of Black Youth. Dr. Bouchet died in his childhood home in New Haven in 1918 at 66 years old.
A moment in Black History brought to you by Jaxson Smith

Tomorrow we will highlight Claudette Colvin

DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps is collaborating with Community Action Youth Programs to bring the annual YELO Forum, 3/31/21 from 4-6pm. YELO = Youth Engage Legislators & Officials. This year will be a virtual forum. Youth and DSAP members will lead an interactive flow of engaging activities to generate dialog around issues such as mental health, climate justice, and racial justice.

Here is a YELO Forum Flyer! (and the logo below!)

Please share this with any youth you think may be interested in attending.

To receive the YELO Forum Zoom link, youth must register: https://forms.gle/F3Fr5LtMu1k6Vx4VA

Registration opens March 1st. The YELO Forum is on March 31^st, from 4pm-6pm
The 1st 30 youth to register (& participate in the forum) will receive an e-gift card.

Community Action Youth Programs is hosting 2 pre-YELO Workshops to prepare and collaborate with youth on creating the content of the forum. These will be on Wednesdays 3/3 and 3/17 from 4pm-6pm. For those interested in participating in pre-YELO workshops, please reach out to Allison Scott ascott@dialself.org

Join us for Social Justice month at ARHS this March! Every Tuesday in March starting on the 9th, different clubs will be presenting student-led discussions on issues that are important to them. You have the power to make a difference in Amherst, and there is no better time than now. Check out the whole list of topics and dates right here: bit.ly/arhssj

Meeting links will be added shortly. If you want to get involved or have any questions, email baxterer@arps.org, vanhornsh@arps.org, or rueschemeyerbaileynr@arps.org.

Sports registration for the 'floating season' is now open! We will be offering 'indoor track' (practices only; 9th-12th grade), football (9th-12th grade) and swimming (7th-12th grade). Please note that 'indoor track' will be mostly outdoors unless using the weight room. There is a possibility that we offer practices only, with a chance of a couple outdoor meets towards the end of April. Please continue to check the athletic webpage, as I do my best to update it frequently.

Hey Seniors you are all invited to a virtual senior meeting on February 26th at 9:00am! You will hear from administrators and other adult leaders regarding prom, graduation, scholarships, senior exemption etc. You will also have the opportunity to network with some of your peers as well. Check your email after break for the GoogleMeet link. See you ALL then 2021!

Monday, February 22, 2021

Bishop John Hurst Adams-
John Hurst Adams (1927-2018) was born in Columbia, South Carolina into a family of civil rights activists, with his father who organized the first Negro bank in Columbia and the first statewide civil rights organization in South Carolina. Looking up to his father’s work, Adams wanted to continue the fight with his own work. In 1962, Adams went to Seattle as pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church and began his ascent as a national leader. He became a leader of the civil rights movement in Seattle and earned respect by both the black and white community. Due to his articulate assessment of the race problems and passionate belief in the potential of the city, he became the key spokesperson for black people during the height of the movement in Seattle. He founded and chaired many organizations like the Central Area Civil Rights Committee, CORE, the NAACP, the Seattle Urban League, the Central Area Motivation Program (country’s first war on poverty agency) and the Congress of National Black Churches. In 1963, he led a march for equal employment, an open housing ordinance in 1964, and a school boycott to force integration in the Seattle Public Schools. In 1972, he was appointed Bishop of the Tenth Episcopal District in Texas and he continued his work on fighting for civil rights by escorting a student to integrate the Waco Public School and supporting student protests to integrate all facilities in Waco, Texas. When he died on January 10th, 2018, he left a lasting legacy in the city of Seattle and the rest of the country with his work and his passion to acquire equal rights for all A moment in Black History brought to you by Benito Marinero-Rodriguez Tomorrow, we will highlight Edward Bouchet

Hey Seniors you are all invited to a virtual senior meeting on February 26th at 9:00am! You will hear from administrators and other adult leaders regarding prom, graduation, scholarships, senior exemption etc. You will also have the opportunity to network with some of your peers as well. Check your email after break for the GoogleMeet link. See you ALL then 2021!

Friday, February 12, 2021

A moment in Black History brought to you by Khalila Lord Arond
Lucille Bogan-
Lucille Bogan, also known as Bessie Jackson, was born in 1897 and died in 1948. She is amongst one of the first female blues singers/songwriters to be recorded, and she is considered one of the "big three of blues music". Many of her songs have been recorded by later jazz and blues musicians, and one of her most famous songs is "Til the Cows Come Home". Bessie Jackson revolutionized the use of curses in her songs, and often sang about sexually explicit things. She was ahead of her time, because women talking about their sexuality was not accepted until at least 40 years later, though some could argue it is still taboo presently. Even though Bessie Jackson was labeled a "dirty blues artist" in her time, she did not stop empowering women through her songs and she should be remembered.
On Monday February 22, we will highlight Bishop John Hurst Adams

We’re checking in with you to see if you have picked up your books and other materials for 2nd semester. If you do not have them yet, please let us know if you plan on coming to the school to get them today, tomorrow, or Friday, during your lunch break or after school. Or if you need us to deliver them to your home if so please email Ms. Rodriguez at rodriguezl@arps.org

Teen Lounge at Jones Library is going virtual! We’re joining up with the teen departments at Chicopee and Forbes libraries to offer a virtual teen lounge for area teens ages 13-18 on our shared Discord server. You can participate in the server via text, voice, and/or video. This is a place to hang out and chat with friends and meet some new folks from around the Valley. We also have plans to offer programming such as trivia and gaming, watch parties, crafting, etc. so let us know what type of activities you want to see happen there! Join us at the kickoff party on Friday 2/12 (that's today!!!) from 3-4pm to play some games with a chance to win prizes! To get an invite to the teen-only server, please fill out this short form: tinyurl.com/joneslibteensdiscord. Send any comments or questions to teens@joneslibrary.org

Cybersecurity Externship
If you are interested in working in this field and can commit to the program during the month of June, please email me, Deidre Cuffee-Gray (cuffee-grayd@arps.org) with your interest. Here’s the link that will take you to more information about it.
https://www.experience.education/externships/

Expectations: Students wanting to attend must be interested in exploring the field and be able to commit fully. This is an all-or-nothing opportunity, meaning if a student signs up, they must see the commitment through to the end. Ideally slots will preference students underserved in STEM.

Format: The externships take place after school, typically, as well as on one Saturday. The students participate in groups in competition with other groups (often students from around the country or them world), listen to presentations from professionals in the fields, and learn about educational paths, etc. Student reviews so far are very strong.

SENIORS: Check your email for an email going out 2/12 from Miss Garrity containing the long-awaited Scholarship Book, containing over 50 scholarship opportunities! February break is a great time to start on your applications!

Hey Seniors you are all invited to a virtual senior meeting on February 26th at 9:00am! You will hear from administrators and other adult leaders regarding prom, graduation, scholarships, senior exemption etc. You will also have the opportunity to network with some of your peers as well. Check your email after break for the GoogleMeet link. See you ALL then 2021!
Now in its 36th year, the ARHS Student-Written Play Festival has helped pave the way for everyone from first-time script-writers to alumni Pulitzer awardees in drama. Why not use this break to write a short play that could end up staged by the Theater Company this spring?
Even if you have only the tiniest bit of curiosity about Student-Writtens, you should definitely plan to attend a 3:00-3:30 meeting this Thursday about writing for our 2021 Festival. Details on script submissions, advice for getting started, and the format of the Festival this spring will all be addressed. Newcomers are especially welcome, regardless of your level of experience with any of this. We'd love to see you!

The meeting will be held at: https://meet.google.com/bwt-xndy-put
Google Meet Nickname: studentwrittens

Got a question or two? Contact Mr. Bechtold at bechtolj@arps.org.

Are you interested in publishing your artwork or creative writing, and are you passionate about environmental action? If so, consider submitting your art masterpieces to the Amherst Art for Clean Energy student anthology, co-created by Amherst Sunrise and Amherst Regional High School students. We are compiling written and visual art inspired by nature and/or environmental action, made by Amherst students or residents ages 5-18. After reviewing submissions, we will publish them and sell the final anthology to the general Amherst community. 100% of the profits will go toward converting coal energy to clean energy through the Beyond Coal™ organization. Submit your artwork here: www.bit.ly/artforcleanenergy! The deadline to submit is April 7, 2021. If you have any questions, please email artforcleanenergy@gmail.com.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Bayard Rustin - Bayard Rustin was an activist in numerous social movements, including civil rights, socialism, nonviolence and gay rights. Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in 1941 to challenge racism in employment. He once was a member of the Communist Party but left when they did not support integration. In the midst of WW2, he served 2 years in jail for his anti-war efforts. He was an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and taught him about nonviolent practices and Ghandi. He organized the first Freedom Rides and also helped organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Rustin also was one of the main organizers of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Dr. King delivered one of his most famous speeches. Rustin faced much discrimination and criticism for being an openly gay man so he usually acted as an influential advisor and organizer behind the scenes. He spent his life advocating for human rights. Mr. Rustin was awarded the Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2013 by President Barack Obama. A moment in Black History brought to you by Nandi Chivende, Talvin Dhingra and Ava Mendelsohn Tomorrow, we will highlight Lucille Bogan

Hey Seniors you are all invited to a senior meeting on February 26th at 9:00am! You will hear from administrators and other adult leaders regarding prom, graduation, scholarships, senior exemption etc. You will also have the opportunity to network with some of your peers as well. See you ALL then 2021!
Now in its 36th year, the ARHS Student-Written Play Festival has helped pave the way for everyone from first-time script-writers to alumni Pulitzer awardees in drama. Why not use this break to write a short play that could end up staged by the Theater Company this spring?
Even if you have only the tiniest bit of curiosity about Student-Writtens, you should definitely plan to attend a 3:00-3:30 meeting this Thursday about writing for our 2021 Festival. Details on script submissions, advice for getting started, and the format of the Festival this spring will all be addressed. Newcomers are especially welcome, regardless of your level of experience with any of this. We'd love to see you!

The meeting will be held at: https://meet.google.com/bwt-xndy-put
Google Meet Nickname: studentwrittens

Got a question or two? Contact Mr. Bechtold at bechtolj@arps.org.

Are you interested in publishing your artwork or creative writing, and are you passionate about environmental action? If so, consider submitting your art masterpieces to the Amherst Art for Clean Energy student anthology, co-created by Amherst Sunrise and Amherst Regional High School students. We are compiling written and visual art inspired by nature and/or environmental action, made by Amherst students or residents ages 5-18. After reviewing submissions, we will publish them and sell the final anthology to the general Amherst community. 100% of the profits will go toward converting coal energy to clean energy through the Beyond Coal™ organization. Submit your artwork here: www.bit.ly/artforcleanenergy! The deadline to submit is April 7, 2021. If you have any questions, please email artforcleanenergy@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Wednesday, February 9, 2021

A moment in Black History brought to you by Anajisa Robinson- Bessie Coleman was an early American civil aviator. Born January 28, 1892 in Atlanta, Texas, she was the first African American Woman and the first Native American to hold a pilot license. She was also the first African American to hold an International Pilot License. Known for performing flying tricks, Coleman earned the nicknames Brave Bessie and Queen Bess. Her goals and dreams of opening a school for African American Women to become pilots were unfulfilled. On April 30, 1926, she tragically fell out of an open aircraft, while testing it with mechanic William Willis. Yesterday's moment on Fritz Pollard was brought to you by Brandon Stewart Tomorrow we will highlight Bayard Rustin
Are you interested in publishing your artwork or creative writing, and are you passionate about environmental action? If so, consider submitting your art masterpieces to the Amherst Art for Clean Energy student anthology, co-created by Amherst Sunrise and Amherst Regional High School students. We are compiling written and visual art inspired by nature and/or environmental action, made by Amherst students or residents ages 5-18. After reviewing submissions, we will publish them and sell the final anthology to the general Amherst community. 100% of the profits will go toward converting coal energy to clean energy through the Beyond Coal™ organization. Submit your artwork here: www.bit.ly/artforcleanenergy! The deadline to submit is April 7, 2021. If you have any questions, please email artforcleanenergy@gmail.com.
Congratulations to Sofie Montti and Ruthie Weinbaum, who were accepted into the Massachusetts All-State Chorus! They scored high enough on their video auditions that they will now be participating in a virtual choral piece conducted by Dr. Jeffery Redding, 2019 GRAMMY Award Music Educator of the Year.
The Environmental Action Club has partnered with an organization called Tree-Plenish to plant trees in the Amherst community! Our goal is 230 trees, which will offset the school’s yearly paper consumption. If you’d like to request a tree, go to https://www.tree-plenishevents.org/amherst. You can also volunteer for our planting event on April 24th. Trees are only $5, and we’re offering red oak, red maple, or river birch saplings.

What does artificial intelligence (AI) have to do with engineering? Come find out at a free virtual AI camp hosted by Western New England University (WNE) on Feb. 15-19 from 3:00-4:15pm. Each day, you'll hear from WNE faculty about their engineering specialty and learn some AI basics. Join one day, or join all of them. Free registration here and more information here. Hope to see you at the camp!

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Fritz Pollard- Frederick Douglass Pollard, nicknamed “Fritz,” wah s born in 1894 in Chicago to a Native American mother and West Indian father who made a name for himself during the Civil War as a champion boxer. Pollard attended Brown University, where he emerged as a star football player despite experiencing racial prejudice in the form of slurs shouted at him during games, even from his own team.That same year, Pollard became the first African-American to play in the Rose Bowl and the second African-American college football player to be named an All-American (behind William Henry Lewis). Pollard’s pro football career began in 1919, when he became a member of Ohio’s Akron Pros, who eventually joined the American Professional Football Association, which was renamed the National Football League in 1922. Same as in college, Pollard experienced racism from fellow players who didn’t want him on the field. One of those skeptical counterparts was none other than star player Jim Thorpe, even though both he and Pollard shared a similar background, with each having Native American mothers.At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, while playing in an era long before football became a passing game, Pollard’s speed and athleticism made him a natural halfback — the same position for which he’d ultimately be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Yet when he signed with the Hammond Pros in 1923, he became the team’s signal-caller, marking a new era in the young history of the NFL as the league’s first black quarterback. In 1921, two years before pioneering the quarterback position, he was named the co-coach of the Akron Pros, making him the first African-American head coach in NFL history. Pollard went on to coach three more NFL teams — the Milwaukee Badgers (1922), the Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), and the Providence Steam Roller (1925) — before leading his most famous pro team, the Harlem, New York-based Brown Bombers, from 1935-38 after a “gentleman’s agreement” enacted by the NFL owners in 1933 segregated the league. In an effort to preserve Pollard’s coaching legacy and extend the trail he blazed in 1921 as the league’s first black head coach, the Fritz Pollard Alliance was established in 2002 as an affinity group consisting of NFL personnel dedicated to creating more opportunities for candidates of color in search of coaching and front-office positions. A moment in Black History brought to you by Brandon Stewart Tomorrow, we will highlight Bessie Coleman

Are you interested in publishing your artwork or creative writing, and are you passionate about environmental action? If so, consider submitting your art masterpieces to the Amherst Art for Clean Energy student anthology, co-created by Amherst Sunrise and Amherst Regional High School students. We are compiling written and visual art inspired by nature and/or environmental action, made by Amherst students or residents ages 5-18. After reviewing submissions, we will publish them and sell the final anthology to the general Amherst community. 100% of the profits will go toward converting coal energy to clean energy through the Beyond Coal™ organization. Submit your artwork here: www.bit.ly/artforcleanenergy! The deadline to submit is April 7, 2021. If you have any questions, please email artforcleanenergy@gmail.com.
Congratulations to Sofie Montti and Ruthie Weinbaum, who were accepted into the Massachusetts All-State Chorus! They scored high enough on their video auditions that they will now be participating in a virtual choral piece conducted by Dr. Jeffery Redding, 2019 GRAMMY Award Music Educator of the Year.

The Environmental Action Club has partnered with an organization called Tree-Plenish to plant trees in the Amherst community! Our goal is 230 trees, which will offset the school’s yearly paper consumption. If you’d like to request a tree, go to https://www.tree-plenishevents.org/amherst. You can also volunteer for our planting event on April 24th. Trees are only $5, and we’re offering red oak, red maple, or river birch saplings.

What does artificial intelligence (AI) have to do with engineering? Come find out at a free virtual AI camp hosted by Western New England University (WNE) on Feb. 15-19 from 3:00-4:15pm. Each day, you'll hear from WNE faculty about their engineering specialty and learn some AI basics. Join one day, or join all of them. Free registration here and more information here. Hope to see you at the camp!